John's Journal
by Carissa the Sita
Summary: A story following the adventures of John (one of my OCs), Caspian the Tenth, and Peepiceek as they fight a short battle against a band of thieves that has been plaguing a small Narnian village called Oldtown.
1. Introduction

_(Author's note: I wrote this story when I was about 10 or 12, so apologies for any __inconsistencies__, cliches, bad writing, and the fact that it isn't entirely canonical. According to my __head-canon__, there was a civil war in Narnia during the reign of Caspian the Tenth; it lasted for ten years and was sparked due to the revolution of Caspian's captain of the guard - a fellow by the name of David. It tore Caspian apart to see his people fight and killing each other. I hope you can enjoy this story, imperfect though it is! The plan is, since it's pre-written, to update often, but sorry if that doesn't hold out!)_

Before I begin this journal, I must introduce myself. I am John. I am thirty years old. I live in Narnia. I was a cattle hand at a large estate belonging to the Lord Regent, Trumpkin the Dwarf. He has several herds, and does not wish them to be mixed, nor will he allow them to be branded. I do not mind the hard work, however. I was lucky to find a job so soon after the horrid civil war.

You may think that I am referring to the time when King Caspian X took the throne back from his uncle Miraz, but I am referring to the time when the Captain of the Guard led more than half of the Guards and Knights in Narnia against King Caspian X. The result was a bloody war that threw all of Narnia into turmoil for ten horrid, bloody years.

My father went to war when he decided which side he thought was following the Great Lion. I would have entered battle also, except that I did not want to be fighting against Aslan. Both sides claimed to follow the Lion, and my brother had gone to battle on the opposite side as my father was fighting on. When news came that my father had been killed in battle, my mother was so grief-stricken that she succumbed to a disease shortly afterward and joined my father in death. I was left to find a job to support my six younger siblings. My older brother was also killed in battle.


	2. Day One

_(Author's note: I cringe as I reread this, so I apologise again for this atrocity. If you find any enjoyment in this, I am glad, if not... well, this is a warning. It is a bit unrealistic, but hey! It's Narnia, anything can happen... I suppose...)_

I stood up from the fire to go catch a stray cow. It was the roan milking cow, Strawberry, again! She runs off more often than the other cows. I jumped on Sienna, my mare, and we cantered off to find Strawberry. A minute later, she was herded in with the rest of the herd.

I shook my head. This was not what I expected to be doing when I decided to keep cattle in the same huge, fenced-in pasture as four other herds. I was tired of this. I dismounted, tied up Sienna, and walked back to the little circle around the fire.

About an hour later, a tremulous bull calf was suckling from one of the cows. As I got up to catch Strawberry again, I saw, or thought so anyway, a shadow lurking in the bushes just outside the fence; after waiting to see, and making it harder to find that cow, I decided it was nothing to worry about.

I mounted Sienna, and rode off after Strawberry. After herding her in with the rest of the cattle, I dismounted. I walked back to the circle of men on the ground. I woke Caleb, it was his watch, and went to sleep. An hour or so later, I woke to someone's hand over my mouth.

"You do not like this job. I know. Come with me," he said. He was formidable, not exactly someone I wanted to go with. I feinted following, then ducked and turned back to the fire. He grabbed me, pulling me to the ground. Blithely getting up, I tried to run, but he had me fast; if I yelled the cattle would stampede, killing both this madcap and me.

Such folly to leave, but he forced me to, so I followed. He seemed sane in some manners; he was not drunk, but he had a spark in his eye that was oddly strange.

The man made me climb over the fence; he followed. Emphatically, he forced me to silence. The man was ramrod straight, muscular, and held himself with such a confident air no one would dare challenge him. Beside his sturdy frame, I looked gawky as a long-legged colt taking its first steps. Tendrils of his thick, blond hair fell over his forehead. Tall, with tanned skin, flecks of grey in his hair and beard, and two swords hanging at his sides; he looked an experienced swordsman, able to pulverize me quickly for my lack of skill. He moved with a speed at variance with his age. My mind concocted some reason to believe this man seemed a King, and, crazy as the idea sounded, for all I knew he might as well be.

The man built a fire and cooked something over it. He put it in two bark bowls, giving one to me. He said it was melted pemmican; pemmican, he told me, is dried powdered meat mixed with lard, and sometimes, as in this case, with dried berries. I ate it; he did also.

The man had traversed a great many miles, he said. I believed him, as he seemed tired. I asked him his name, he told me to call him C. He was not, in truth, in any way resembling a King, other than the way he carried himself. He wore none of the fooforaw Kings generally wear; nothing of value other than his ring, a thin gold band around one finger. He seemed to be studying me also. I am not much to look at, lanky, tanned skin, brown, tangled hair and bright blue eyes; I am typical of most drovers.

C got up suddenly, drew his swords, and motioned me to stay put. Three men came out of the woods. The first of the three smiled maliciously and drew an ugly sword. He approached my companion, while I watched, jaw agape, as the two fought. C was at an advantage, until the other two warriors drew their swords and joined the fight, putting the outnumbered man into retreat. These evil warriors pushed C closer and closer to the edge of a nearby cliff. It was clear they meant to knock him over the edge.

Suddenly C lost his footing. As he careened over the edge of the cliff, I in my anger and fear yelled something incoherently at the warriors. They turned and started towards me. I drew my knife and threw it at the closest man to me. Then I turned and ran to the edge of the cliff. As I peered over the edge, I saw C stand up. Then someone pushed me from behind and I hurtled over the edge. I knew I would die.

Suddenly, I felt strong arms catch me and set me down. C was standing there, seemingly unperturbed at falling off a cliff. I was never so glad to see anyone in my life, the life he had just saved

"How did you survive?" I asked him.

"Training," he said reminiscently. "You look like my son." After this unexpected comment, C turned and, motioning me to stay put, he began to scale the sheer rock face. Several times he lost his grip and nearly fell. However, he made it to the top at last, and disappeared over the edge. After a few minutes, he tossed down a rope. Words came down faintly.

"Tie… rope… pull you up…" I figured he meant me to tie the rope around myself. I did, and C pulled me up. I looked at him dubiously. He is a strange man, capable of falling off a cliff and living, and scaling a sheer rock face with very few holds.


	3. Day Two

_(More cringe-worthy writing from my past self.)_

He slept on the ground, and I slept in the surrounding area. In the morning, he gave me a hoecake, but did not take anything for himself. I asked him why, but he did not answer. I wondered who he was.

I asked C if I could travel with him. His face, impassive, gave me no clues as to his feelings, but he said I could if it was my wish. A few minutes later, C got up and pulled up two saplings. He then sat down and used his knife to cut off the roots, bark, and branches, sanded the sticks to a shine, and gave one of the pine walking sticks to me, while he took the other.

"Do you have a tinderbox? Because you will need one on this journey." I told C I did not. He motioned me to come, and we went into the woods. C told me to look for flint and dry moss. I did, and while I was doing so, C took out his knife and cut off the lower legs of his pants. He shredded the cloth and put the shredded material in a box. A long, ugly gash showed in C's left calf as he stood. I shuddered convulsively at the sight. It looked painful.

A wolf pup, cavorting around, came over to C. He chuckled at its antics, reached down, and patted its head. It was no older than two months.

"Careful, C, there might be a wolf pack nearby," I cautioned

Looking up, he replied, "No, he is an orphan; hunter killed his mom and the rest of the pack, and I have been caring for him. His name is Cobalt" C picked up the pup and put the squirming mass in a hole in his pouch, which the pup then stuck its head out of. The pup, cosy in its reprieve, fell asleep as C helped me put together a tinderbox. It was finished after a while, and so C began walking in a northerly direction. He walked so fast I could not keep up, and I had thought _I _would have needed to go slow on _him_! C saw me walking so far behind, and slowed down a bit. C was a vagrant traveller, changing directions often, sometimes sneaking surreptitiously behind me, only to jump out at me with a yell.

The travel seemed to me tedious, but at last C stopped and we ate a belated lunch. While we were stopped, C embellished designs in his walking stick. I asked him whether _C_ stood for his name. He said it did.

After a rest, C got up and motioned me to follow. As we toiled laboriously through the forest, I tried to puzzle out who C was and where he had come from. I did not think he was a Narnian, his skin, although not as dark as a Calormen's, was too dark to be Narnian.

But as to his name, I was confused even more so. Caleb? Constant? Christian? Cor? I did not know. I _suppose _he had _meant _for me not to know. Whatever the case, I was tired of calling him _C_. The placid forest was a good place to think. When we _finally_ stopped for the night, I asked C if he would choose a name, if not his own, for me to call his.

"You are the one who will be saying it, so you choose." he replied.

"I will choose Constant then, if you like it, for you are a constant companion." An odd look crossed Constant's face, but he said nothing, only nodded. His tawny brown eyes met mine for an instant.

After dinner, Constant made a temporary shelter. He did not want to sleep in it, though. I was glad to be friends with Constant, instead of an enemy. If Constant were not my friend, I fear I would be in imminent danger.


	4. Day Three

_(I begin already to regret this. Actually, I regretted posting this story before I posted this story. Sorry, to everyone, but I had to do something with it. It was getting dusty.)_

Next morning, I woke to the wily man shaking me insistently, telling me to 'get up and light the fire.' As I watched his receding figure, I wondered exactly how old he was. After breakfast, we were once more on the move.

There were some beautiful vermillion and gold birds. One of them flew over and landed on Constant's shoulder. He chuckled, and fed the bird a bit of pemmican. The wolf pup threw a contemptuous look at the bird and growled. The bird flew away, and I felt an irrepressible desire to laugh.

Constant must have heard my laughter, as he turned around and grinned at me. He explained that the bird had broken its wing in its first attempt at flying, and he had cared for it. He seemed friendlier now than before.

Awhile later, Constant stopped, put down his pack, and while I watched incredulously the old man went over to a tall tree, and climbed up.

A few minutes later, there was a crash and an 'Ouch!' on the other side. I ran round the tree to find out what had happened. Making my way quickly around the tree, I reconnoitred the area around where Constant must have fallen.

"Down here!" came a yell. "In a hole!" I looked around until I saw a hole in the ground. I dropped down on my stomach and peered over the edge.

"Are you okay?" I called.

"Yes, I will be out in a minute if the dirt is not too crumbly," Constant returned. He began to climb up. A few minutes later, Constant had reached the top and stood beside me.

"What were you thinking?" I asked him. Constant scowled and said nothing. I fear I have made him angry; he has been distant to me all day, and said nothing at all.

I stared speculatively at the fire, wondering what had made Constant so very angry. I looked dubiously at the man, who was lying on his back on the ground, staring up through the treetops at the stars.

A few minutes later, Constant's deep voice broke the silence. "I suppose I am just an old man to you? You just came along to keep me out of trouble? Well, if that is the case, go back to wherever you came from."

"It is _not_. I came because I like you; I do think you are older than me, perhaps ten years older." I said, stating an age far less than that which I guessed in an effort to make things up.

"I am forty-eight, you are close," he said, lithely getting up and putting another log on the fire.

_He is not as old as he looks,_ I thought.


	5. Day Four

_(More ancient writings from my closet. Enjoy, or don't if you can't. Apologies.)_

Next morning, I woke to a crashing sound, and a yell. I got up and heard more crashes. A few feet into the forest, I saw Constant, ducking and swerving to avoid being hurt, trying to calm a roan stallion. The horse, rearing and pawing the air, had a sock reaching to its knee on its right forefoot.

"Hey now, boy. It is okay. Hey, Arrow, hey…. Good boy," Constant said soothingly, trying to grab Arrow's mane. So far, I had eluded Constant's attention. As Constant ducked another blow, I heard another horse, or rather, two. Constant must have heard them also, as he backed away from Arrow, then turned and walked towards me.

"So that is what had him so fired up," Constant said, and I realized he must have known I was there. "Arrow went off and got himself a girl, had a baby, and he was protecting them," Constant said, then he grinned. "I wonder, if I could separate them, if you might want the mare?"

"It would be far too wild for me," I said quickly. "Why did you yell?"

"Arrow landed a kick on me," Constant said.

"Ouch!" I said, wincing. Constant just grinned. He motioned me back to camp, where we had breakfast. Constant then disappeared into the forest. A few minutes later, he yelled, then came running back to the small clearing with a hoof mark bruise on his face.

"I ran into Arrow's mare, Goldi," he explained. A few minutes later, he moved quietly towards the woods. He disappeared into the trees. Then came a yell, and Constant came running out with a colt in his arms, Arrow and Goldi trailing closely behind. As I watched Constant run away, his form growing vaguer, I saw he had another muddy hoof print on his back.

I grabbed Goldi's mane and pulled myself up. Goldi halted in front of Constant, who had tied up the colt. Arrow halted beside the mare, and Constant took the opportunity to grab Arrow's mane. He swung himself onto Arrow's back. The animal calmed down. Constant scrutinized me closely for a moment, then laughed and mentioned Goldi did not seem to wild for me after all, and told me to keep her.

I shook my head at Constant's apparent eagerness to rid himself of Goldi. "Most people would have been happy with a new mare, instead of trying to rid himself of it," I commented.

"Yes, but I have plenty back at the ca… back home." Constant looked relieved that he had not said what he had started to. Constant was very mysterious indeed, and I just could not find who he was. I think he may be a Telamarine, but I cannot be sure.

"Do you know where we are nearing?" Constant asked me. I told him I did not. "We are close to one of my favourite places. It is a town where everyone still talks like: whither thou goest, so shall I also go. Dost thou know what I mean?" Constant said.

"Indeed, and I believe I shall enjoy talking thus, Constant my friend." I was surprised at the ease with which Constant talked like this. I surmised that this town must be where he grew up.

"We are entering the town very soon, but it would be best tie our steeds at the edge of this forest," said Constant.

"And pray, why would this course be the wisest?" I said.

"Reasons that, for now, must remain unbeknownst to thee."

"Constant, wilt thee grant me a favour?"

"I think that would depend upon the favour that thou desires," Constant replied. "But if I can do it without harming anyone, I shall do it."

"Then tell me, truthfully, where you came from, and to what nationality you were born," I said, eager to hear Constant's answer.

"I come from Narnia, though I am a Telamarine by birth. Dost that satisfy thy search for knowledge?" Constant said. I nodded vigorously. My hopes had been that he would tell what town he lived in, but this was, as of now, enough for me.

"Come then, and we shall untie this colt, then shall we be on our way to Oldtown," Constant said this more as a command than a question.

"Hast thou heard any new news about King Caspian? Has he returned to the castle yet? Or is he still on his round of checking on this new vessel?" I asked.

"I, that is, Caspian has not even arrived… er; King Caspian has not yet arrived at the building site… I am, er, Ca… I know him very well," Constant stuttered. He seemed uncomfortable and bemused by this subject, so I dropped it. Constant slid off his horse and untied the colt.

"Whilst we are here, we may solve a mystery. Last I heard, someone or something hast been raiding Oldtown every few nights, and I thought, if perchance thee are good with the sword, we could discover this night raider," said Constant, looking up at me and grinning.

"I'd kill myself or you, trying to hit a stump with a wooden sword. I'm terrible." Constant went over to me, grabbed my leg and yanked; I fell off promptly.

"I seriously doubt that thou art as bad as thy maketh out to be." Constant drew two swords and handed one to me, holding it by the blade in a manner which looked rather dangerous. I took it uncertainly, doing my best not to cut him. Constant laughed at my hesitance. I stood in the only stance I knew. To my dismay, Constant told me I looked like he himself had when he had first held a sword. Using the flat of his sword, Constant put my feet closer together, and lifted my blade to a swing-ready stance.

"On guard!" Constant yelled, aiming a thrust at my shoulder. When I did nothing to retaliate, and only stared at the advancing weapon, Constant, much to my relief, pulled short his thrust.

"Cannot thou parry?" he asked me. I told him I only used a sword on animals. Constant said he would be back in a day, left me some provisions, and mounted Arrow. He waved and turned in a different direction than that in which we had been travelling.


	6. Day Five

_(More of John's Journal... sorry. After I'm done with this piece of mostly-unedited childish writing, I plan to do more_ Sherlock_ fan fics... eventually, I mean.)_

A day later, I heard the noise of two horses. "I will not swear it, that is final!" came Constant's voice. "And do not tell him who I am, or I will throw you in jail! You will obey me this time; it is a command! I am no longer joking." Constant and another man rode into the clearing. Constant's face was clouded with anger. The other man slipped a metal object into a bag on Arrow's saddle. The saddle was ornate and beautiful; obviously very expensive. The man was about my age; he had thick black hair and tanned skin, he had blue eyes that were sharp and deep.

Constant introduced me to James. I saw that James was a prankster; but could be at times quite serious. Constant went over and tied their horses by Goldi and the colt.

"John, watch me and James joust," Constant said, coming back over to James and me. Constant grasped the helve of his sword, pulling it out of the scabbard in one swift movement. He motioned for James to do the same. James rolled his eyes but obeyed. Moments later, the two were fighting heatedly, the clash of the two swords sounded raucously in the somnolent woods. Constant kept James in retreat, but did not take any chances.

Constant jumped as James took a swing for his feet, but Constant tripped on a tree root and fell backwards. James leaped towards him, but Constant backward rolled, propelling himself to his feet. Constant leapt towards James and dealt him a blow with the flat of his sword, which James only partly deflected.

James sliced Constant's head off… nearly, he did make a scratch, and Constant eluded a second, third and fourth slice. Constant aimed a slice to James' chest, but James deflected it down his boot. James aimed a thrust at the elusive Constant, but Constant returned with a parry that knocked James' sword from his hand, severing his own at the hilt.

I had thought they were finished fighting… that is, until James lunged for Constant's waist and knocked him to the ground. James had Constant in a neck lock, until Constant backhanded James in the face, making him lose his grip. Constant ran full force into James' chest, shoulder lowered, knocking him flat and pinning him down. James raised his hand in surrender.

Both men were breathing hard. I asked Constant whether he and James were knights. James said he was a servant at Cair Paravel. He started to say what Constant did for a living, but Constant stopped him, saying he was a knight. I asked James, since he was a servant to the King, why he was not at the castle now.

"I am going with him to check on the building of the _Eastern Star_," James answered. I asked him why he was not with him now, but Constant stopped James from saying anything. Constant went down to the stream while James and I talked. James told me more specifically what he did for a living.

"I write plays, musicals, and operas to entertain the King, his family, and his guests. I also find actors and come up with costumes. In other words, I am the castle jester. A few scripts that the King approves, I take to a print shop and it is given to theatres all through out Narnia. What do you do?"

"Well, I'm not currently employed, but before I met Constant I was a cattle herder." I answered.

"Aah, yes. It is usually that way, when one meets him." At that moment, Constant entered the clearing. He had a long gash on his right shin, and a frown on his face.

"That stings like lye. I think my scabbard lock snapped. My sword fell out of my scabbard, cutting my leg. I should make a — get a new one," he said. James started to say that he would bandage Constant's leg, but Constant refused, saying he did not need anything. Just then, Cobalt went over to Constant, a tired look on its grey-and-white face. It curled up beside him. Constant chuckled, and kneelng down on the ground, he picked up the pup and put it in his parfleche.

"Can you parry now?" Constant asked me.

"I suppose… not very well, though," I replied.

"Then I will be back in a day— alone!" Constant said, and got his and James' horses. The men mounted and rode off.


	7. Day 27

_(John has been unable to write in his journal for a couple weeks, you didn't miss anything, I promise. Not that there's really much to miss in this miserably childish story.)_

A day later Constant returned; saddle gone, leg swathed in a bandage, grinning, with the wolf pup in his arms.

Over the next few weeks, Constant taught me the mysteries of the sword; before long he had brought me up to his level in war. Constant also trained me in other things, such as wrestling, hunting, spying, and tracking, for instance. Until today, he has kept me too busy to have a chance to write in my journal.

I learned more about my strange companion in these weeks also. He is blunt and speaks his mind, but can be almost tender at times. He is smart, knowing nearly everything I ask him. He is friendly, eccentric, and intriguing. He has a great sense of humour, which surprised me at first as he seemed rather serious.

He sometimes uses a strange method of teaching. He calls it play-acting. He will pretend to be someone other than my friend Constant, and he might be a pirate, or a thug, or a merchant, or even a witch. In these he has me react as I first think to, then he teaches me the best reaction, then he will spring it on me suddenly and I must react the way he taught me. He does this so I do not get killed. Or so he says.


	8. Day 28

_(This begins with onomatopoeia, something I've never enjoyed using. I felt like trying it out, and I regret it heartily. Also, some retellings of the original Chronicles from another point of view - hope my horrendous writing offends no one.) _

_Clash_! I parried a thrust and countered with a crosscut, which Constant deflected. He returned with a slice and thrust combination. I blocked it and sent a thrust at his shoulder. Constant stepped back to allow the move to expire, then moved in with a well-timed moulinet. I partially deflected it; it cut only my tunic; and countered with a manoeuvre he had used on the men who had tried to kill him that first day I met him. His face lit up in surprised delight to see that I had observed him closely the first time I had seen him fight. But, still without losing a beat, he parried and countered with a slice for my legs. I jumped, but lost my balance and fell nearly on top of Constant. He caught me and set me straight.

"Balance is an important part of swordsmanship. If your balance is off in a real fight, then you die. You must keep your feet the correct length apart. When you jump, you must land with your apart, like so—" Constant demonstrated, as he jumped landing with his feet in the proper stance for basic sword battle.

"No, no, no, hold it like this, see?" Constant instructed. I picked up my bow again and used the correct number of fingers to pull back the string. I aimed it at the target— and missed again. Constant demonstrated once more, but I noticed something I had not before. His eye trailed from the tip of the arrow and traced its path to the target. I tried again, and at least hit the target.

_Bang_! I hit the ground again. Constant helped me up and gave me a few more hints on wrestling before we turned to spying and disguise. I had practiced most of the previous lesson walking quietly, and had nearly got the hang of it, though as of yet, I was nowhere near good as my trainer. Constant gave me a few things to practice and left for a few minutes. I did not hear him return until he tapped my shoulder. I jumped slightly. He told me we would be practicing awareness the next few days.

"John, dost thou think that thy art ready for the night raiders? I think that thy art, but whether or not thou art ready, teach thee more I cannot, for already have I taught thee all I know. What sayest thou, John?" Constant asked a few weeks later. That is, today.

"I think I could, perchance, hold up in a fight, and very grateful I am to thee, Constant, for teaching me," I replied. "But I do have several unanswered questions. Who art thou? What dost thou do _really_? Where in Narnia dost thou dwell? How dost thou know James? What is thy _real_ name?"

"Well, John, that be a spate of questions, and I can answer but very few. I am in a high position under the King; I live a few miles south of Cair Paravel; I know James because I know the King, better than anyone; I am not exactly a friend, yet know him better than his very closest friend, even better than the Queen knows him," Constant said in coherence to my inquiry

"No one but the King himself knows the King like that!" I exclaimed.

"Perhaps," Constant said, his face stolid and unconcerned. A burgeoning suspicion overtook me. Was _he_ King? I looked him over as he walked the declivity of the hill to the horses. He fit the King's description; was _quite_ skilled in the sword; was married; had a son; was away from the castle; claimed to know the King as only the King could; and yet dressed too commonly.

"John, do mount, and let us be on our way. We and a couple people I know will form a contingent of knights. I suppose I shall command. We must all act volatile; but quietly! Whilst we are here, before we hunt down the raiders, I shall get thee a sword to suit they need. We shall obliterate whatever evil hast been raiding Oldtown." Constant mounted and we rode to the edge of the forest. Constant dismounted and tied Arrow to a tree within reach of a stream. Arrow was redolent with sweat, Goldi and the colt also. I tied Goldi and her colt to another tree close by the stream.

"I had hoped, John, that my stay here would not be curtailed, however I must leave in two days." Constant said

"Wilt I see thou again?" I asked.

"With thy new skill, become a knight in mm— in King Caspian's army. Thou shalt see me there." Constant replied

"So thou art a knight?" I asked.

"Perhaps. Now let us leave these horses to rest, and be on our way." Constant motioned me to follow him out of the woods.

"Well, now John. Go and find a place for thou to lodge; I shall sleep elsewhere; whilst I find a proper sword for thee. I will be off." Constant turned in the direction of the blacksmith's shop. I chose to sleep in the woods by the horses, and wandered into the marketplace. I heard snatches of conversations.

'Where might I find grain?'

'Thou cannot, I am afraid all my grain 'twas stolen last night…'

'Didst thou hear? Those raiders robbed the stables!'

'No! Really? Well, I cannot say that I need a horse, but I do feel sorry for the stable master and the animals, too…'

'The raiders killed my father!'

'Oh, Eddie! I am so sorry! How did…'

'The raiders…'

'The raiders…'

'The raiders…' It seemed that these raiders were a problem indeed.

"John! John! Oh, there thy art! Didst thou find a lodging place?" Constant came running up to me, holding a sword and scabbard.

"Yes, Constant. But where hast thou been?" I asked.

"Getting thee a sword," he replied. "Here, take it." He handed me the sword and scabbard. I put it in my belt.

"I thank thee," I said. Constant and I walked through the town. Suddenly, as we turned a corner, we nearly ran into a young woman.

"Who art thou?" she asked, her voice tremulous with fear.

"Not the raiders," Constant said.

"I should think not!" I exclaimed.

"I am Constant, this is John."

"I am Katrian." The woman's face had relaxed the instant Constant had told her his name. I supposed she must know someone by that name.

"Glad to meet thee, Katrian!" Constant said. Constant looked a little embarrassed. Maybe the two were acquainted?

"Yes, thou hast a pretty name," I said

"Thank thee, sirs. Dost thou need anything?" Katrian asked.

"Nay, but thank thee for asking," Constant replied.

"Farewell, then," Katrian said.

"Farewell!"

"Farewell!" I called with Constant.

"What were thou doing in the market?!" Constant asked me, chuckling lightly as we continued our walk.

"Finding out just how miserable the raiders make life for the townspeople." Constant nodded grimly, and I noticed his eyes were wet. He turned in the direction of the forest, motioning me to follow. Disappearing into the leafy depths, Constant began to run with a vigour that surprised me once more. I began to run also, and was having difficulty keeping up.

"I have notified my acquaintances of my presence here, and scheduled a meeting here this afternoon. Meanwhile I thought that thou might, perchance, want to spy on a meeting of the raiders? Be aware that this is serious; if we are discovered we could, and most likely will, be killed. If thou chooseth not to go, then I will go alone and, of course, armed."

"I'm game," said I.

Constant chuckled. "That is exactly what Lucy said when I—" Constant broke off and said "Oh!" as though he had said too much. I eyed him suspiciously. "Come then," he finished irritably, "And we will be off. But be quiet!" Constant said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "We will clinch these evil raiders once and for all!"

We commenced to a very quiet form of travel. I, even after training with Constant, was very loud compared to my trainer and comrade. He made no noise that I could hear anyway. I thought back to my unintentional allusion to Lucy's statement, 'I'm game'. Constant's reaction made no sense. The last time Queen Lucy the Valiant had been in Narnia, she had been on the _Dawn Treader _with King Caspian; she and King Edmund the Just, and her cousin, Eustace, and Sir Reepicheep had been dropped off at the end of the world.

Perhaps Constant had been talking of a different Lucy. Yet if that was true, why had he stopped himself from finishing his sentence? As I thought back through other attainments I had made in this mystery, something registered in my mind. Constant _had _to be the King of Narnia. There was simply no other explanation for it. I thought of a plan, and slipping away into the forest, I put it into action. I needed to find someone whom Constant— or, if my guess were correct, his majesty King Caspian, would not suspect. I entered town and headed towards the market. I saw a Mouse, a Talking Mouse to be exact.

"Excuse, Sir Mouse—" I began.

"My name is Peepiceek, but call me Peep," the Mouse said.

"Peep, I need your help. Could you find out if the man in the woods with blond hair and a pale blue tunic is the King of Narnia?" I asked.

"A rather strange request. Blond, you say? Is he, perhaps, a Telamarine?"

"Why, yes! I should have known the instant I saw him! The King is the only Telamarine with blond hair." I said, with a shake of my head at my own stupidity. "Well, do lure him back here, one way or another."

"Easy!" the Mouse chirped. He ran off to the woods.

This is what happened, as told to me later. The Mouse heard a man's deep voice calling, 'John! John!'

The Mouse yelled, 'Your Majesty! King Caspian! Come quickly! Follow me! There is an urgent situation in town!' The man followed the Mouse out of the woods and was led to me.

I bowed. "I am surprised to discover that I had been in the presence of royalty these last weeks. I am pleased to meet you, your Majesty." The King looked startled for a moment, then angry, and then, resigning himself to his discovery, asked me to call him Caspian.

"Well, Peep, I did not know that you were in Oldtown. What are you doing here?" Caspian asked.

"Well, Sire, I was wondering if there was anything my mice can do, seeing that the town is being wrecked by the raiders. But, may I ask, who you are?" he asked, turning towards me.

"I am John." I said.

"I say we all go back into the woods for a while. I would like to know where Cobalt got off to. Such a silly little wolf he is, I am afraid he may get himself lost."

"Wolf?" the Mouse eyed the King uneasily. I assured him that it would not hurt a fly. Caspian had an odd, almost amused look on his face when I said this.. We walked a little ways into the forest, so as to be a bit farther away from civilisation. When we had come to a standstill, Peep asked the same question I myself was pondering.

"I though your Highness was seeing how the building of the new ship was coming. What are you doing here?"

"I do not need to be there until next week. I know a short cut to there from the castle. Travelling the usual way takes about two months. The shortcut takes about a week. The large lake in the middle of the island can be crossed, cutting a good bit off the journey. Most do not use it, as the lake is a treacherous water, full of sharp rocks waiting to put a hole in your boat. With a good deal of skill and even more of patience, it can be navigated. I works out quite well for me, as I need a place to get away every now and then. As you can see, I have already crossed it. When my horse dumped me a few weeks ago, I decided to have some fun. John, here, knows the rest of the story." Caspian answered.

"And I am glad, now, that you took me away from my invariably boring life. I will indeed become a knight," I said. "What did Lucy say, 'I'm game' about?

"Well, it was on the voyage where I got my nickname, Caspian the Seafarer, but it is a rather long story, and rather boring."

"Oh, come on!" said I. "I doubt it is _that_ boring!"

"Besides," Peep said. "I have never heard any first-hand accounts of that voyage, since Sir Reepicheep did not return."

"Very well. We had come upon a big, black, dark spot. It was a most disconcerting thing to see. Captain Drinian, the first mate Rhince, and I thought we should not go into it, for at the time I did not see any particular reason to waste time rowing through blackness. Nevertheless, Reepicheep was against turning around or going around the darkness. True, he admitted that, if by reason for going in we meant filling our ship with provisions or our pockets with gold, then there was none. However, he said that the adventure would be reason enough, and— well, he basically called us cowards for not wanting to go in. He said it would be a hard blow to our honour to turn back without completing our goal (which, by the way, was to find the seven lost lords of Narnia), and, of course, to turn our backs on such a great adventure untaken.

"Of course, putting it in such a way, we could not turn back without damaging our honour. Also, I think that Reepicheep, had we turned around, would have jumped overboard and swum to the dark.

"Anyway, Edmund said we should take on whatever adventure there was in the dark. Drinian and Rhince yet thought it folly, and I knew that Reepicheep would give way to a lady. So I asked Lucy, but all she said was,

"I'm game." Not exactly what I had in mind. It turned out to be a good thing, however, for in the dark we found the lord Rhoop."

"Lucy is very brave, indeed. Queen Lucy the Valiant, they used to call her in the Golden Age of Narnia," the Mouse piped up.

"Indeed," Caspian said. "But she was not the only brave soul on that voyage." He mentioned this, and it sure sounded like another story.

"Who else?" Peep and I asked together.

"A certain mouse who I have not seen since that voyage, for instance, who showed courage in several ominous instances," he answered.

"Is it one story or more?" the Mouse asked.

"And what mouse?" I prodded.

"You two act like children!" Caspian scolded with a chuckle. "You are worse than Rilian at bedtime. All right, I will tell the story.

"It was a rainy day, and I think there was a chess match going on between Lucy and Reepicheep, or at least there had been one last I was down there. Eustace had been gloomily pitying himself, and beginning to be a bit of his old self— I will explain that in a minute. Anyway, Lucy had been watching the window, when she cried out, 'Hello!' and mentioned that the rain had stopped. Apparently, she saw an odd object in the water.

"They all went on deck to see whatever it was that was in the water, and found Drinian, who was on watch, already there. I heard talking and came on deck to see what the commotion was about. I saw the strange, multi-coloured rocks. But lord Drinian said they could not be rocks, for they had not been there a minute ago. The lumps were a deep purple, with spots of green and blue, and bright vermillion patches. One disappeared, and reappeared closer to us.

" 'Hang it all!' I said. 'The whole thing's moving this way!'

" 'And moving faster than we can sail. At this rate, it'll be up with us in a minute,' Drinian said. Just then, a huge head reared out of the water on the port side of the _Dawn Treader_. There was nothing to do but wait for it to strike.

"It did not. Instead, it shot its head over the boat and surfaced again on port. Eustace, whom I had let borrow my second-best sword, ran over and hacked at the serpent. He succeeded only in breaking my sword to bits, but it was a brave gesture for a beginner. Then Reepicheep yelled, 'Don't fight! Push!'

"It was so unusual for the Mouse to advise anyone not to fight, that, for a terrible moment, all eyes were on him. Then, to show us what he meant, Reepicheep pushed himself fervently against the scaly creature. It was then that we understood what the brave Mouse meant. We all began shoving ourselves against the serpent. Reepicheep had about as much chance in shoving the creature away as he did of lifting up Cair Paravel (which was, of course, none at all), and he would have killed himself trying if Drinian had not shoved him aside.

"For a sickening moment it seemed that nothing was happening, but then the serpent began to inch closer to the poop. We got it over the poop, and I told Lucy to get an axe, for we could not hope to get the ever-tightening noose over the carved Dragon's tail. But we did not need it. The malice-filled serpent drew the noose tight, and the stern broke off. That is, the dragon's tail.

"Reepicheep was fainting. I do not know how anyone could have pushed themselves that hard, but, had he kept it up much longer, he would have killed himself." Caspian finished.

"Good story, Sire!" Peep said.

"Yes indeed," I agreed. "But you said something about Eustace being, 'his old self'. What did you mean by that?"

"Well…" Caspian said slowly. "Well… oh, I guess we have time for one more story," he said after glancing at the sky.

"This story starts awhile before the previous story. We had entered the harbour of a mountainous island after a storm which had caused two casks of our water supply to leak. Naturally, we had been on tight rations for over a week. Eustace was always complaining back then, the general troublemaker on board ship. Even after this story, he did play an occasional trick on someone— most generally me, because I never suspected anything. But before, he was rude, annoying, disobedient, under your feet every minute, and a general nuisance.

"We went ashore the following day after making land. We were making plans for working that day. We needed to find a source of water, some food, see if there were any natives. We found a river, collected some water. We shot a few pigs and a few wild goats. In the middle of dinner, Edmund asked suddenly, 'Where's Eustace got off to?' I had better tell Eustace's side now. I will start with him sneaking off.

"When Eustace heard our plans for work, he snuck off on his own so he could escape the work. He climbed a mountain and went down the opposite side on accident. He could not climb back up. He heard a noise and turned around.

"A dragon emerged from a cave, tried to get some water, but died. It was very old. After Eustace's initial fear allayed, he felt as though he had fought and killed it, instead of merely seeing it die. Eustace got a drink, went into the dragon's lair. He put some diamonds in his pocket, and slid an armband up above his elbow. Then Eustace went to sleep.

"Back at camp, when we realized that no one had seen him the entire day, we called and called until we were hoarse, and I blew my horn. We sent out search parties all over the isle. We saw the dead dragon in the valley, but as its body was cold, we did not think it had eaten Eustace. We did not find a single trace, not even a footprint.

"Meanwhile, Eustace woke up. He thought he had a dragon on each side, mimicking every move he made. A second later, Eustace made a dash for the water,_on all fours_. When he got there he saw another dragon in the water. But then Eustace realized it was only his own reflection. Eustace began to cry. A while later, Eustace decided to try the ascent. He started out with a running jump. Of course, being a dragon, when he jumped he began to fly. Eustace's wings were a pleasant surprise to him, of course.

"Back at camp, the rest of us were getting fidgety. Lucy had fallen asleep. Then there was a flapping of wings as a giant dragon flew overhead. It alighted on the beach, unfortunately between us and our ship. Of course, then none of us knew that it was Eustace, so we did not go up to the dragon saying, 'Oh, there you are! We've been looking for you.'

"I woke Lucy and said, 'We must all act with great constancy, for a dragon has just alighted on the beach. Yes, I am afraid it is between us and the boat.'

" 'With your majesty's leave,' the Mouse began.

" 'No, Reepicheep, you are not to attempt single combat with the dragon!' I cut him off. The mouse, I do believe, had perhaps a bit too much courage. Enough, anyway, that he nearly got himself killed for no reason numerous times.

" 'We shall go together. Lucy, Arrow on your string, swords drawn everyone, lively now.' I ordered. Lucy said she wished it would just fly away, but Edmund pointed out that if it did go away, it could sneak up on us.

"We went up to the dragon, but instead of turning to fight us, it retreated into the shadows. Lucy thought it was crying, but Drinian said it was a trick. But the dragon shook its head.

" 'He's saying no,' Lucy said. The dragon nodded.

"Reepicheep ran up to the dragon. At first I thought he was disobeying, but then he shouted in a high voice, 'Dragon, can you speak?' It shook its head sadly. 'Then it is idle to ask you your business. But if you will swear friendship with us, raise your left forelimb above your head.' The dragon did so, but clumsily because the tight bracelet around its upper arm.

" 'Look at the design. It is the insignia of lord Octesian,' said I, and the Mouse said accusingly,

" 'Have you devoured a Narnian lord?' The dragon shook its head.

" 'Are you, perhaps, someone enchanted?' Lucy asked. The dragon nodded vigorously. 'Are you the lord Octesian?' The dragon shook its head.

"Then, Edmund and Lucy both said, 'You're not _Eustace_!' Eustace nodded his terrible head and thumped his great tail, causing everyone to jump back, some of the sailors with exclamations in language I do not care to repeat. Eustace began to cry, great, big, boiling tears. Lucy brought out her cordial and applied it to Eustace's arm. It did not dissolve the gold, though I am sure it must have helped some with the pain.

"Eustace had obviously changed his attitude since beforehand. He was eager to help. He gave rides to select parties on his back. Through this, we found that the land was uninhabited, except by swine and wild goats. Eustace killed many of these as provisions. He never ate with us, though. He found a new mast (we had lost our old one during the storm), and lit many a fire during the days that followed.

"The island, later named Dragon Island, was mainly mountainous, covered in hill, valleys, mountains, cliffs, and ridges, with a sparse covering of trees.

"Well, although Eustace's strength and pinions were handy, we could not think what we would do with our dragon when it came time to sail. Eustace might have been able to keep up by flying, but he certainly could not fly constantly. What were we to feed him? We tried not to discuss such things when Eustace was around, but I had a feeling he heard snatches of it. It probably made him feel even worse. The degeneracy he had once shown had all but faded. Still, an annoying nuisance of a boy is easier to care for than a very helpful dragon.

"One day, though, about six days after we had made land, I woke up with Eustace nowhere to be found. Now, this was not unusual, for the dragon would often wake up and fly away. But he was not the only one missing. Edmund, who had been sleeping next to me, was also gone. I looked round, until I saw two figures sitting on the rocks in the bay. I looked at the others in camp, but no one else was missing. The figures began to walk towards our encampment. The taller one was about the height of Edmund, but the other was a bit shorter than Lucy was. After a minute or two, I recognized Edmund. A bit later, I was stunned to realize that the other person was Eustace!

" 'Good to see you!' I called.

" 'Glad to be out of the dragon,' he replied." Caspian glanced up at the sky.

"I need to be cutting off pretty soon here. Well, to cut a long story short, Eustace met Aslan. Aslan told Eustace to undress. Eustace could not take off all his skin, so Aslan helped him. Then Eustace swam in a well, and then he was a boy again. Eustace gave me the troublesome bracelet. I had no wish to keep it, and offered it to Lucy. She did not want it, either.

" 'Well then, catch as catch can,' I said, and flung it into the air. That was when we were looking at the inscription. The armband went up and caught on a little hook beside the inscription. No one could climb from any direction to get it. Unless a storm blew it off, it is probably still there," the King concluded.

"I'll bet you could climb to get it, if you wanted to. Con— Caspian, what did the inscription say?" I asked.

"Let me see…" He said, tugging on his beard thoughtfully. "Oh, yes: _Dragon Island, discovered by Caspian X, King of Narnia, etc. in the fourth year of his reign. Here, as we suppose, the lord Octesian had his death. _My, but that was a while ago! I am surprised I still remember. I was fourteen then. That was thirty-four years ago." Caspian said.

"I thought you were only forty," Peep said.

"And where have you been the past eight years?" Caspian asked with a chuckle.

"Not reading the news, obviously," the Mouse chirped. Caspian looked a bit annoyed by this comment, but he said nothing.

"It is nearing dinner. Let us split up, each get his own victuals, and rendezvous at the Little Birde. John, we tied our horses by that stream. And, you two, be on your guard. Those reprobate raiders cannot be far from here. Fare well."

We set off in different directions as the King had commanded. A while later, I made my way toward the woods. Peep met me on the way. Caspian was already there. He had Cobalt in his arms. When he saw us coming, he let down the pup, which immediately began to run around. The horses shied away from the young wolf, which ran kiting around in between the horses' hooves. Caspian ducked beneath the horses, getting himself kicked quite a few times, and grabbed Cobalt. He put the young wolf into his pack. The horses slatted around, so I helped Caspian to calm them. Peep, smartly, kept out of our way so as not to get crushed. After a bit, we had our steeds under control.

"Caspian, diving under scared horses isn't smart. Are you alright?" I asked.

"I am fine! Do not worry about me." he replied. I shook my head. Caspian seems to be trying to get himself killed! Peep mentioned he would gather the Mice. Caspian said he needed to pick up his friends and bring them to rendezvous. I decided to explore the town for a while. We agreed to be back an hour before sunset.

I did not find anything of interest in town. Except the dead lizard with ants all over it. Soon I went back to where the horses were tethered. Caspian brought with him James and a few others. Peepiceek had not yet arrived.

"John, this is Henry," Caspian said, pulling forward one of the men. This man had dark, almost black hair. It was curly and fell to his shoulders. His blue eyes were fierce, sublimely proclaiming his status as a warrior. He nodded as the King introduced him.

"This is Mark," the King pulled another of his companions forth. This man was younger than the others were, looking to be no older than fourteen. He had unruly brown hair and eyes to match. He nodded jovially at me as he was introduced.

"This is Luke," Caspian said. The man looked about thirty, he had brown eyes, and a beard and hair to match. He nodded at me sternly. He looked like he was already in battle.

"And this is Matthew," Caspian said, pulling forth the last of his companions. Matthew looked to be twenty or so. His hair had hues of gold and red; and he was a true Narnian. He had fierce green eyes that penetrated like a sword. He nodded a little ruefully.

"Well met," Matthew said stiffly.

"Indeed, Matthew, thou needest not be so cold. How do thee do?" Mark asked.

"Well, thank thee. And thou?" I replied.

"Quite well."

"I am sorry if I seemed rude," Matthew said. "But I don't see how seven men could possibly be able to defeat seventy! Caspian, this is complete madness!" he said angrily.

Henry leaned towards me and whispered, "Don't mind 'im. Matt's got a hot temper. I scared 'im today when Caspian sent me ta fetch 'im, 'n' got 'is dander up. Ye might wanna steer clear of 'im. Or 'e may draw 'is sword on ye." I grinned at Henry

"How old are ye, young feller?" he asked me. I did not like being called young, so I teased him.

"Thirty. And you?" I asked with a smirk.

"Five years old." he replied, without cracking a smile. Caspian, overhearing us, broke in.

"Five years old-er than me!" he said. "Do not be pulling pranks on John! And do not be scaring him about the battle to come, either!"

"It is getting ominously close." James spoke for the first time.

"Yes, we have a perilous night before us. Yet I know we shall do it. These raiders heap one more infamy on top of all the others, and I swear! I will have revenge upon them." Caspian said sternly.

"They shall get their comeuppance, indeed!" Mark stated firmly.

"We will make sure of it." I was a bit surprised to hear Luke speak. His and Mark's statements and the King's words reverberated in my head all day, as I pondered what they could mean.

It is night now; I see the King's form silhouetted as he stands in front of the fire.


	9. Day 32

_(Sorry again. Gosh, this is old. So old. Man. I used a lot of my school vocabulary words when writing John's Journal, and once even sent it in to a publisher - unsolicited, so it ended up on the slush pile, I don't doubt.)_

_(EDIT: sorry, there must have been a glitch in the prior version, it should be fixed now!)_

The King turned and walked off out of sight in the dense forest. I heard the deep voice of the King and the thick sort of voices, which could only belong to badgers as they discussed tonight's operation.

"I am glad you could help, Tunneltosser, Grumblejaw, Troubledragger, and I also gathered several knights to help us give those barbarous raiders a pummeling they well deserve." Caspian said determinably.

"How many have you acquired, Sire?" Tunneltosser asked. (I learned which badger was which later this evening.)

"Well, you, me, the Mouse, John, James, Henry, Mark, Luke, and Matthew… eleven altogether. There may also be a few more, as I think Peep is getting the other Mice."

"Your Majesty is… absolutely crazy." Grumblejaw said.

"I may be a bit dauntless, but I know well the skill of John, James, Mark, and Matthew, having trained them myself, and Peep was trained by—"

"How do you find the time, Sire?" Tunneltosser asked.

"I am forty-eight." Caspian sounded a bit annoyed. "Anyway, Henry and I went through the same vigorous training, and Peep was trained—"

"I did not know the King of Narnia to soliloquize." Troubledragger said calmly.

"Arrgh!" Caspian spat out the words contemptuously; very angry now. "Fine! If you will not listen to me, I will— I am leaving!" He walked back into camp and tripped over a pile of logs, nearly landing in the fire. He picked up a log and hurled it angrily from him. I ducked as it flew over my head and into Matthew's tent. Matthew yelled as it hit him. Caspian muttered something angrily under his breath. Even when I had angered him after he fell out of a tree, I had never seen him so angry. After seeing Matthew exit his tent while rubbing his head with a puzzled look on his face, Caspian stormed out of camp.

I made a move as if to follow him, but Matthew held me back. A questioning look dragged an answer out of him. "Let him cool off a bit before trying to make up, or you'll be darning more than your relationship." Matthew revealed a painful looking scar on his chest that went from his shoulder to his last rib. I winced.

"He did that?" I asked, incredulously. Matthew nodded. "What kind of tumultuous argument were you in?!"

"It was a stupid one. Caspian had fallen out of a tree. He was not breathing. I was afraid he was dead. I voiced my fears aloud. Caspian… sat up and said he was not. I… told him he was, he told me he had to be alive, dead people cannot talk. I… I told him he was because he had not been breathing, etc., etc. We kept it up awhile before he drew his sword on me to knock some sense into my head."

"Yeowch! That was pretty stupid," I said. "Arguing with a dead guy! But truthfully, he is an amazing man. I have never heard or seen him do anything to be really mean. And he is not prideful, like some people I know. But he does seem to have a reputation for falling out of trees."

Matthew laughed. "He certainly does. But what you said is true. And I've known him since I was seven, for twenty-eight years."

"I hope he has the sense to come back here before nightfall," I said.

"Caspian has the sense to do things most people do not. He keeps his head in situations when other lost theirs a long time ago. Caspian has more sense than the Captain of the guard, his charges, the generals of the army, and all the nobles of Narnia put together. Sometimes it seems as though no one could ever kill him. He cannot be outsmarted. His only weakness is his wife, son, and, well, all the people in Narnia. He would give his life for a complete stranger." Matthew said.

"He mentioned something to me about his son— said I resembled him— so of course he has a wife. I have not really given it much thought, but now that I think about it, his family are Prince Rilian and the Queen. How old is the Prince?"

"He turned three two months ago." His answer left me completely astonished. Caspian must have been 45 when Prince Rilian was born… but that was old. Actually, now that I think about it, my grandfather was 43 when my father was born. So it really isn't that old; it just took me by surprise. Matthew and I went into my tent, as it was starting to sprinkle.

"I wonder if Caspian will come back because the rain," I said.

"I doubt it, he is not one to be intimidated by a little rain. He is not likely to be exposed to the elements anyway. He is probably in a nearby cave. He knows the woods better than anyone. He never gets lost, even in the midst of a storm, to answer your next question."

"What does a storm have to do with anything?" I asked.

"It covers up the stars," Matthew answered.

"Oh, I see."

"John, look at me." Matthew looked deeply into my eyes. After a minute he said, "You also suffer just as I once did. You are young and naïve. But do not let yourself become bitter."

What Matthew said shocked me and laid me bare. "How—How did you know?" I sputtered at last.

"Before I met Caspian the second time, I was a bitter young man. My family had all died from the plague and the war. I was angry—angry at the plague, at my neighbors, angry with myself. I was angry with Aslan, angry at the world. I was bitter and I did not even want to live anymore. I was angry at the man I had met many years before, the man who had told me not to give up trying, and to keep my chin up. I considered him a delusional fool. One day I met a man. He was tugging in some unknown way to me at my memory. He told me that he too had lost much, family, friends, and nearly his own life. But he told me that if I gave up now, my parents had died in vain. That my mother's one goal had been for her children to grow up into men and women who would carry on her legacy. He told me—he told me that if I gave up then everything she had worked was in vain. That every day my father had sweated and laboured to buy me bread was for naught. Then the man told me one last thing: Not to give up trying. That is when I realised I was once more face to face with the delusional man I had hated only days before. Just a week ago I would have gladly killed him. But now—now I could not let my parents fail. I would make their lives count for something. I was going to make sure they were never forgotten. And John—John I hope that you will not let your parents—or son or daughter or wife—die in vain. I hope that you will make their life or lives count for something—something wonderful."

Matthew braved the rain to go to his tent. I sat down and picked up a book of mine, Narnian History, The Interesting Way. I was not paying any mind, not really comprehending anything.

Awhile later, I heard the sound of another log being dropped onto the fire. I peeked out the flap, and saw Caspian's pensive form on the other side of the fire.

Seeing me, he said, "Get Matthew and come here." I went into Matt's tent, and finding him staring at a letter, I told him he was wanted. He jumped slightly and stuffed the paper into his pocket. We exited the tent and went to the King.

The King began to speak. "I am sorry that I threw the log at you, John, and that it hit you Matthew. Get the others and arm yourselves. There is armour enough for all in my tent. We leave in an hour."

Everyone was scrambling to get dressed, armoured, and armed. Our Captain also armed himself. He told us to wait for a while, mounted Arrow, and was off like… well, like an arrow.

Not ten minutes later, the sound of horses pounded through the camp. There were maybe five, and the noise made us all think we were under attack. Except Henry. His eyes sparkled with suppressed laughter as the Captain galloped in on Arrow, leading five other horses.

Henry got a peppery grey stallion named Dagger, Matthew got a brown piebald stallion named Helmet, James and Mark got twin mares, Cocoa and Vanilla, brown and black. James got Cocoa, more fiery than sweet, and Mark got Vanilla, later nicknamed by him, Whitefire. Luke got a stallion of the darkest night, named Revenge. All these horses were well trained for battle. Also, the King admitted to having given some training to Goldi at night when he was done with my training.

We only had minimal armour (or so the Captain said. To me it still seemed like a ton.) in order to be able to mount our steeds without a pulley. (Although we could have used a pulley as it was. Even with the little armour we wore I found it hindered movement as I clambered atop Goldi. My breastplate perplexed me to no end as I could not bend over forth or back.)

While I was trying to mount, I happened to glance in the Captain's direction. (Everyone else has been calling him that, and I am sort of stuck doing it also.) I saw a fleeting glimpse of proud satisfaction as he surveyed his protégés. He saw me looking at him and his face returned to its impassive mask.

"Use any obscurity to cover you from sight, or sound. And racing to be in front is not safe. The safest person is in back. I will lead." As we fell into line, I heard the Captain asking the badgers whether there had been any sign of Peep and the other mice.

"No," Troubledragger answered. Caspian looked a little suspicious of the badger but said nothing. Then there was a rustling in the bushes, and out stepped eleven mice. Peep introduced Aesop, Eepiteet, and Squeep, Weepisqueet, Leepicheep, Queepicheep, Heepiceek, Beepikeep, Seepicheep, and Leah. Caspian looked relieved. We now had 21 members in our little band. Which meant we were only outnumbered four to one, not twelve to one. Caspian dismounted (I still do not know how he manages to do so with such seeming ease) and went a ways into the wood. He came back a few minutes later with two horses.

"They are for you Mice and Badgers," the Captain said. He helped the Talking Animals on the horses. This would make travel far easier. Caspian tied the two horses to the back of Mark's saddle, so they would have to follow.

All of us were fully armed with a sword and dagger, as well as a bow and a quiver full of arrows. During my training, although the Captain had taught me to shoot, my forte was hand to hand combat.

It was a dark and moonless night, Caspian said this was because of the weather. Our Captain warned us to make thrifty use of our arrows; not to shoot one unless we were sure of a hit. For me, this was pretty much near enough to hit someone with a sword.

"Mark, Henry, why did I hear you two scuffling about in your tent?" Caspian asked sternly.

"Well…" Mark began slowly.

"We were hitting each other with our pillows." Henry finished, unashamed.

"Fie on you, Henry! You should know better than to pillow fight! I would expect such behaviour from my son, but he is better behaved than you are!" Despite the Captain's stern face, his eyes were smiling.

Henry deigned no reply, but Mark apologized. The Captain chuckled at this. I was beginning to wonder when we would embark when the Captain commanded us to 'get going.' He had to keep slowing Arrow down, as did I and my companions, for the horses were eager to run. Dubiously, I followed behind the Captain and Henry. Mark and Matthew lagged behind, having some trouble with Helmet and Vanilla. James rode beside me. Luke was directly behind James and me.

The colt had been tied to a tree back in camp, for he would only be a nuisance. I was worried as to this battle to come. Although I knew the Captain was skilled, I was afraid he might take a risk and get hurt. That is when James read my mind the first time.

"Don't worry about Caspian. He can handle anyone." I heard incredulously. "No, I don't think I can read minds. Oh, wait! I just did." This made the two of us laugh. But after this, everything went bizarre. For one thing, it suddenly started pouring rain. Even under the thick canopy of trees, we still got quite drenched. Also, the thunder and lightning was scaring the horses. And when our party got sprayed by a skunk, that was just the final straw. The horses went absolutely crazy! And then, when it started hailing, the Captain's horse went cajoling into the trees, taking our leader with him. Luke went galloping after him intently on Revenge.

Henry took over after the last-mentioned disaster. He got us all head towards home, and the way he circled us, keeping the horses in check, made me think of my former job as a cattle herder. And as he circled us, I saw that he had a muddy hoof print on the back of his head. We went back to camp to wait for our Captain and for Luke.

The next day, bored, and with nothing better to do, I watched what the others were doing. Troubledragger and Tunneltosser were playing chess, Grumblejaw was arguing with Leah about who was going to win the chess game. Leah thought Tunneltosser would, but Grumblejaw said Troubledragger was going to win.

Mark was working hard to… I'm not sure to I'm not sure. What I mean is that he was trying very hard to make or fix or some such thing an item I have no clue as to what it was used for, which seemed to be made of wood, stone, and animal sinew. He was rubbing it with a slimy sort of grease, putting all his might into it.

James was sitting alone in a corner of camp away from the activity, leaning over a thick pile of papers, probably working on a play or such like. Henry seemed to be reading. Matthew was eyeing a clutter of nautical paraphernalia, and he seemed intimidated by it.

The remaining mice were playing war with what seemed to be twenty packs of cards, for they seemed to be having double, triple, and even nine-way wars seemingly often, for there were often simultaneous cries of, "War!" I was wondering when they would break out actually fighting, because the constant argument between them. But they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I pulled out my book again, Narnian History, The Interesting Way. This time I was paying more attention to the words. The book was a collection of anecdotes about how Caspian came to be king, the voyage of the Dawn Treader, the happenings during the time of the century of winter under the White Witch's rule, the story of King Cor and Corin Thunderfist, and other points of interest in Narnian and Archenlander history.

As I was reading a story about one of the things Caspian had told us about the day before, I realized the similarities in choice of words, the style of telling it, etc. The author's name was… K. C. CONSTANT! The book was a fairly new one, it had been first copied about a year ago, and it had been an instant favourite.

I flipped to the dedication. It read:

"To my dear wife, who convinced me to write this book, to my son, who kept me at it when I got discouraged, and to my friends, who help me when I need it." C. X.

So Caspian had written one of my favourite books! That's when James read my mind again.

"I could have told you that," he said. "Most of his friends know that if a 'Constant' comes to their door, it is probably the king in disguise."

"Can you really read my mind?" I asked, a bit shaken.

"You may think me daft, but you do not hide your thoughts very well." James said with a smile. "Also, people say that I am rather discerning. I have to be. I write and direct plays, so I must be able to properly explain the look actors should have. But I see that I have lost you." This was true, for I had no idea what James was talking about.

"What is Matthew doing, anyway?"

"I am not sure," James said slowly. "The Captain told him to organize that clutter of nautical rudiments, because Matthew is studying to become a sailor. I prefer to stick to dry land, although I can create a realistic looking set for an ocean scene in a production."

I laughed. James seemed to be a friendly fellow. Although maybe a bit crazy. But just a bit. "What is Mark doing with that… um… that whatever it is? And what is it, anyway?"

"I think he said he was fixing— um, I forgot what he said it was, it also has something to do with sailing, and I think navigation." I smiled.

"The Mice seem to be having a good time playing war." I said.

James laughed. "Last time that many Mice were playing a competitive game, it turned into an actual war." That must have been a sight to see. "And there is also the last of the Mice, Leah. As you can well see, she and Grumblejaw do not get along very well. There have been times when even Caspian and I did not get along very well."

Remembering what had happened when Matthew had opened himself up, I was hesitant to ask. But curiosity got the better of me. "What could the Captain and you have disagreed on? You seem so close." I said.

"It was not exactly a disagreement. Let me explain myself. During the Civil War so recently come to pass, the old Captain of the Guard took over Cair Paravel. He was very hard to get after that, for Cair Paravel is not easy to attack. At least not from the outside. Anyway, during that war is when Caspian really trained me with the sword. He has always tried to get me to really train, but I never really was interested until the civil war came. He and I and the Idiot and Leo were each leading a small army and we surrounded the castle. We—" James said before I cut him off.

"Who is this so-called Idiot? And who is Leo?" I asked.

"Henry is a complete idiot, hence the name. Leonardo, or Leo, is Caspian's second closest friend. We lost the battle, and I and Caspian were captured. The enemy wanted him and me, using the other as leverage to get what they wanted out of us. They- they promised me they would not harm Caspian if I made a machine I had invented for the purpose of a prop in a play. It was for a play called Brothers. In it there were two brothers who were very close. They were once separated for a year, and when the one brother returned home, his brother had been captured. The captured brother had had an experiment done on him, and because of it, his brain had been twerked and caused him to become evil and hate his brother. The evil brother captured his brother and was trying to do the same experiment on him, but then the building caught fire and the evil brother was knocked unconscious. Instead of escaping and only saving his own skin, the good brother went back and saved his evil brother. The evil brother was restored in the end. This production was played out nearly exactly in real life. I was the brother who turned evil. I tried so many, many times to kill Caspian, who considered, and considers, me his brother. I invented many, many devices for torture, to get spies from Caspian's army to talk. I used many of the machines on Caspian himself. When the war was finally over, I ran. I ran from my past, the things I had done, and from Caspian. Caspian searched for me. He found me at last. But then he realized that the reverser for the curse I had put upon myself I had written down only in the first draft of that play. He searched long and hard and he eventually found it. When I was restored to my senses, I was so sorry, and angry, that I was afraid to talk to Caspian. After many long months our relationship was restored, and it is now even stronger than before."

I was not sure what to say, so I changed the subject, which turned out a disastrous mistake. "What is Henry doing?" I asked.

"What Henry does is of no consequence," James spoke sharply. "He and the Captain's personalities opposed with each others', and the Captain came off the worse for it. He and I are not friends." It seemed strange to me that Henry could have had any sort of bad influence on the Captain; even though Henry was five years older, the Captain did not seem one to be easily influenced.

It was nearing nightfall when the Captain and Luke arrived in camp covered in mud, leaves, grass, and nettles. The Captain was a bit peeved because he had not been able to find his hat, which had fallen off during the crazy ride Arrow had taken him on. But he seemed mollified to see that our band was all accounted for.

When darkness fell, the Captain, having made the decision to leave the horses behind, a good idea if you ask me, our audacious band of knights made our way toward Oldtown. Intermittently, the rain drizzled down, making the path into a muddy river.

At last, we reached our destination, the Oldtown marketplace and main target of the raiders. Unfortunately, a group of men and boys had formed a resistance against the raiders, and mistook us for them. The resistors drew their weapons, which were an odd assortment of pitchforks, axes, swords, clubs, and bows, and jumped on us. We started to fight them, thinking it was the raiders.

But then Caspian spoke to their leader. "I did not know you were in town, Jonathan." Jonathan told his men to cease fighting. He cocked his head at our Captain questioningly.

"I am no longer under cover. John discovered my identity the day before yesterday," Caspian said in answer to the unspoken question.

"What art thou doing here? 'Tis good to see thee, Caspian!" After the two exchanged a hearty handshake, the Captain introduced me to Jonathan, the city blacksmith and swordsmith.

"Good day, John! Or should I say, good night?" he added with a chuckle. I was glad to meet Jonathan. He and his men, ten in all, were a welcome addition to our band. We were now outnumbered a little over two to one. Which made the odds more in our favour. Of course, some of us were not exactly the size of a man, but don't tell the Mice that I said such an insulting thing. Or the Badgers.

Then the raiders arrived.

I don't remember much of the battle, but the Captain saved my life at the risk of his own during multiple instances. He had just blocked a thrust at my chest, when a heavy wooden club came crashing down on his head and he tumbled to the ground unconscious, blood dripping down his face and hair.

I do not know what happened at all after the Captain went down. I do remember fighting with renewed vigour from my anger at the malevolent men who had severely injured, or even killed, our Captain. I did my best to cover for the Captain.

The ruckus had awakened the entire town, and when the battle was over, raiders eliminated, a doctor was found. That is when I looked down and saw the hilt of a knife protruding from my left shin.

The Captain had a severe concussion and a bad cut on his chest, Henry had lost the use of his left arm, and James had a nasty slice across his face. Matthew had escaped nearly unharmed other than a few scratches, Mark and Jonathan had concussions, and several of Jonathan's men had lost their lives. Luke was now blind. The mice had all survived, albeit with various injuries.

I would walk always with a severe limp.

The doctor said that if the Captain regained consciousness, he would never be the same again. It has been two days since the battle, and still the Captain lies unconscious at death's door. No one is allowed to see him, only the doctor and a nurse, and I begin to wonder at the efficacy of the doctor's skill.


	10. Day 34

_(In which things happen and people are hurt.)_

It has been four days since the battle, and today the doctor came to me. He looked worried.

"John, grab your crutches. The Captain is asking for you; I do not think this is a good idea, but he will kill himself disobeying me when I tell him to stay still in bed. He is acting, well, I think he had some memory and reasoning loss resulting from his injuries. He seems a little unreasonable, and he will not listen to anything I say."

I stood up, clumsily because the bandage on my leg, and followed the doctor to the horses. I tied my crutches to Goldi's saddle and mounted the mare. We rode into town, tied up our horses, and went into the small hospital. The doctor, Carl, took me down a hall.

We turned in at the first door on the left. As he opened the door, I heard an impatient but weak voice.

"When is John coming? You said he was coming. Is he coming?" He did sound, to be honest, a little as though he had submitted slightly to insanity.

"I am here, Captain."

The Captain looked up, relieved. "John! How long has it been since the battle?"

"Four days. Are you alright?"

"I am fine," he said irritably. "Other than the fact that once again I am going to be late for… I was supposed to leave for the docks three days ago, and the doctor will not let me out of here for ever so long!" The blood-soaked bandage about his head, and another about his chest told a different story. The blood was still wet, and some was now dripping down his ghostly white face.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"I am fine, just a scratch."

He eyed me suspiciously. "Must be a pretty big scratch to put you on crutches," His voice was insistent.

"He will limp for the rest of his life." I glared at Carl. He was just trying to be obnoxious. At least, it _seemed_ so. I shook my fist at him. Something like a ghost of a smile crossed the Captain's pale face. He looked as though he would not make it.

"Go away, please, so that I can speak to John alone." The nurse hesitated, but Carl nodded at her.

"Was the battle won? How are the others?" I answered his questions. He was saddened by our losses, but very happy because his team of thirty had defeated seventy.

"John," he said to me. "Lock that door." I hesitated, but obeyed.

"Follow me." Although everything in me said otherwise, I had learned to obey the Captain without question. He climbed out the window, and I followed. He dragged me around front. He mounted Arrow, (why was he there?) and I grabbed Goldi. We headed north.

I urged Goldi to go faster, in order to keep up with the pace the Captain was setting. I was in a quandary as to the Captain's actions. Why was he doing this? Where was he headed? Why was he taking me with him? The day was sundry and hot, and as we travelled, the horses became tired and sweaty, causing them to slow some.

We had, up until this point, been following a well-travelled main road, but then the Captain swung Arrow's head into the woods. He urged Arrow to run, and we took a path a little ways in, then we left the trail and he took us to a stream. The Captain rode Arrow into the middle of the swift waters, in a place so deep Arrow began to swim. He took Arrow to the other side, and I followed him on Goldi.

For the next half hour, we crossed the stream, it was really a river, more times than I could count. I was beginning to wonder whether the Captain had truly lost his mind when he turned around and said, "Evasion statistics." It took me a minute to realize what he had said, it was so sudden and unexpected.

Then the Captain turned us due east, and we travelled in this new direction at a very fast pace. He then turned Arrow north and we rode in this direction for a mile. Then we turned back east and crossed a stream twice before it began to run in an easterly direction. We rode down the streambed. There was no way left for anyone to track us, except if they asked a Talking Bird.

We travelled in this way for the greater part of the day. I paid little attention to my surroundings, and my mind drifted back to some of my previous indentures. Painful thoughts which had been dormant for years entered my mind, a jumble of memories and reminisces. I had thought I had successfully pushed such thoughts out of my mind, but I was wrong.

Suddenly the Captain halted Arrow, so suddenly that Arrow reared high, frightening Goldi so that she too began to buck. I stashed my memories back in the farthest repository and focused solely on keeping my seat on Goldi.

The Captain, in his weakened state, rolled backwards off of Arrow's back. As he fell, his sword slipped out of his scabbard and he fell on it. He yelled before all was quiet other than the sound of Arrow's hooves off in the distance, and Goldi snorting as she quieted down. I slipped off Goldi and ran to the Captain's side. His breathing was shallow, but he was still conscious.

"I am going to get help," I told him. He grabbed my arm.

"No!" he gasped. "Do not leave! I will be fine." He spoke the words with some difficulty, as though he were having trouble catching his breath. He began to cough, and although I knew little of first aid, I could tell that he would probably not make it without proper medical help.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of the Captain's mouth. He wiped it away.

"I guess I forgot to fix my scabbard lock," he said, smiling weakly. "But look: I found my hat." I left him for a moment to gather wood to build a fire, and when I returned to his side he had lost consciousness from loss of blood. I did my best to bandage his wounds, using his shirt and my shirt to try and stop the bleeding. This, however, quickly soaked through. A thorough investigation of the Captain's bag yielded a needle and thread, some sort of salve, and some fresh bandages.

After doing my best to stitch up his wounds, I bandaged him again and set about rousing the fire. It looked like rain, so I built a shelter as he had taught me. I built it over him so there would be no danger of me injuring him further.

It is nearing nightfall; I can see the deathly pallor of the Captain's face in the flickering light of the fire and the orange glow of the sunset. He needs professional help; if he does not get it soon, he will not make it.


	11. Day 36

_(SERIOUSLY regretting this. The map? Oi! The training? __**Oi**__! I had no imagination... no, wait... too much... ach, well, here it is anyway. If I ever grow a brain, I'll probably delete this story.)_

Two days since he was hurt, and the Captain's wounds were showing signs of infection. I hardly know the basics of first aid, and the Captain is lucky to have survived this long already.

Then this afternoon, just when I was considering the pros and cons of going for help, Henry rode into the clearing. I was glad to see him, but could only hope he knew better than I when it came to caring for our brave Captain.

Henry looked worried. "When t' Cap'n didn't meet me at t' dock, I knew somethin' must've happene' ta stop 'im from meetin' me." As he knelt to tend to the Captain's wounds, I could see the anxiety of an older brother in his weather-beaten face.

After taking in the situation, Henry looked up at me. "Wha' happene'?"

"He fell off of Arrow, and as he fell, his sword slipped from his scabbard. He landed on it when he hit the ground. Will he be alright?"

" 'E's' a strong man. E'll live." Henry's dark eyes held the bellicose look of a warrior in them. He tended to the captain's wounds, and later we talked.

"What is the trouble between you and James? He seems inclined to dislike you."

"Eh? What's tha' ya say? Wait… I b'lieve I know wha' yer' talkin' of. Somethin' of me 'n' the Cap'n?" I nodded in reply.

"When t' Cap'n 'n' I met, we were different, yes. 'E was twent'-five, but 'e still thought 'imself a boy. Acted 's though 'is 'pinions warn't of any matter. Ne'er did much as king 'ter 'elp 'is people. 'Course, 'e made a few laws 'ere and t'ere, but 'e ne'er did anyhow wi'out asking an'body When we was togethe', I gave 'im a bit o' trainin'. Ne'er treated 'im like t' boy 'e thought 'e was, sorta taught 'im somethin' 'bout bein' an adult. I prob'ly learned a thing 'r two mysel'." I was drawn to Henry and his slow I just could not understand how any of this caused James to show such malevence towards Henry.

"I do not think that is quite how it happened," Caspian said, sitting up and wincing. "It is true that I was not very mature, although I was married; the most of it was that I was not content to be where I was."

"Are you serious? It must be awesome to be king!" I exclaimed.

"Actually, I find it rather dull."

"Why?" I asked.

"I always get my own way in everything! You really have no idea how truly obnoxious that is. If I ask someone's opinion, other than my wife's, son's, or close friends', all I get is, 'Whatever your majesty deems best is fine.' However, I learned that it is not my choice whether to be king or not. Aslan made me king, and who am I to go against Him? I do my best to rule Narnia justly for my King and my country."

"Well, I don't think I had ta awful much ta do wi' i'," Henry said.

"You did, more than you know. Also, I had no clue as to how to control my temper."

"Oh, yes… I remember," Henry laughed softly. "Oh, yes… remember when ya-"

"Yes, I am afraid I probably do. I remember nearly every stupid, dumb thing I have ever done. I even remember- but I better not talk of such things right now." I really had no clue what the two of them were talking of.

"I do believe we have lost John." the Captain said. He coughed. He was, as usual, correct.

"Do ye remember wha' yer wife did tha' voyage?"

The Captain smiled. "As though I ever could forget it! She had asked to pack my clothes. I thought something must be amiss there, but she kept asking until it nearly drove me mad! I caved in at last, and when I saw what she had packed, I was mad enough to spit fire! But I kept my temper, as at this point it would do no good to carry on. She had packed only pirate clothes. She had even packed the jolly roger and an eye patch! And when all the other men had to wear was pirate garb, I realized just how lucky I was to have gotten her for my wife."

"I was first mate on tha' voyage. And 'til we set foot on dry land, 'twas _all_ ye wore!"

"Yes, and I recall that _you_ raised the pirate flag once when we were in sight of another ship!" the Captain said with a slight chuckle that ended in a cough.

"An' i' turned out ta be a _real _pirate ship! By gum, were we _ever _in _trouble_!" Henry continued.

"Yes, you nearly got killed!"

"I recall ye was tryin' ta drown yerself! Ya was up 'n t' crow's nest, fightin' wi' t' cap'n o' t' other ship. 'E knocked ye out o' t' lookout, an' ye went tumblin' down ta t' water. I thought ye was a dead mon, then 'n' there! But ye'd clung ta the anchor rope an' climbed up!"

"That was winter, and the water was mighty cold. And you told with whom you had trained. Some mighty hard training, out of this world, you might say."

"I'd say 'tis! Shou' we tell John where ta go ta train?"

"Well, John?" the Captain asked, his eyebrows arched high above restless brown eyes. Then I realized something else that made him unusual. His eyes! His eyes are quite unusual- in them you can see his emotions reflected in an amazing way. You can also see the fierceness of a warrior and the risks of a sailor; the pain of one who has had dear friends pass away before his eyes; the pain that comes from the body; the joy of a father; the loyalty of a son; the innocence of youth; the hardened sense of maturity; and a love for all that came from deep inside his soul.

"I… I suppose so… What kind of training _is _it?"

"A lifetime of learning. You will never be the same again." the Captain was quietly fingering a blue stone on the hilt of his sword with a faraway look in his brown eyes.

"Do ye want t' map?" Henry asked. He too was looking at a matching stone on his sword with an odd look in his dark eyes. So much mystery!

"Yes," I said. I wanted to discover what they were talking about. Henry reached into his bag, similar to the Captain's parfleche, and withdrew a map. Henry handed me the map, and I put it in my bag. He looked askance at the Captain, who was now nearing the end of his strength.

"Place looks pretty secure." he said. The high copses had been difficult to travel through, but they were good protection from the elements.


	12. Day 37

_(And... it's back.)_

The night had dragged by interminably, and I did not get much sleep. In the morning, just as the sun's first rays protruded from the mysterious eastern horizon, Henry saddled Dagger and left to find a doctor.

Later that day the Captain woke up. He was a bit angry to hear that Henry had gone for a doctor, but he brushed it away with a deferential sigh.

I knew it would be awhile before Henry returned, several days at least, and before Henry had left, he had instructed me not to allow the Captain to rise from bed. So I did my best to keep the Captain busy. However, if I left camp for even a moment, the Captain would get up to put another log on the fire, or get a book, or something else that he was not supposed to be doing.

At last I resorted to asking him to tell me more stories of his adventures (and misadventures). It kept him occupied, and it interested me also.

At about two this afternoon, the cloud cover opened up and let it go. Hard. We were pretty well covered by the tall trees, but some rain still dripped down. And in the centre of our camp, there was an open spot where the rain pounded down without any hindrances. Right above the fire pit. I could not keep it going, so the Captain helped.


	13. Day 38

_(Short chapter.)_

When I woke up this morning, the Captain was gone. At dusk tonight Henry arrived, without a doctor. He made no excuse. I told him that the Captain had disappeared. He understood something that I did not, bade me farewell, and he left.


	14. Day 39

_(Even shorter, and more ludicrous)_

I set off today on Goldi. I am travelling to the place where Caspian and Henry trained. I shall not take pen in hand until I meet with my Captain, the king of Narnia, my friend Caspian again.


	15. Twelve Years Later

_(Some twelve years later... and now it's done, and I shall go curl up and pretend I never posted this.)_

_It has been twelve years since I last saw the Captain. I met his family: his wife, his son Rilian, and his nieces and nephews: Constant, Lucy, Timothy, Lydia, Rosali, and Eddie. Rilian is a fine young lad of 15. Constant is fourteen, Lucy is twelve, Timothy is eleven, Lydia is eight, Rosali is five, and Eddie is three. Although they are his nephews, they all call him, 'Father'_

_Apparently, Caspian had a brother, Gibaltar. He said he did not know that he had one until his brother was dead and the children were sent to his care. Caspian's son and nephews also took the training._

_A magician, Tarva, is the trainer. He sends you to another world as a different person to get their training. You think their thoughts, feel their pain, do everything they did or will do (for Tarva can send you to the future or past in another world or this). Truly, it is very difficult to explain it indeed (it took me an hour to think up that summary). He gives you a stone that will take back to any of those places or to a new one._

_I never joined the army for many years; instead, I became a sailor. I was travelling homeward one day for a short visit, when I fell into the companionship of a young man, perhaps twenty years, and we got to talking. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and also wore the garb of a sailor. I felt there was something oddly familiar in his brown eyes. He, before I had told him my name, called me John. "How," I asked, "did you know my name?"_

"_Oh, dear! Not again!" said he, dropping his accent and lapsing into a familiar tone. "I had to go and spoil it all! I suppose you know my name, am I correct?"_

"_Yes! You are Caspian! Oh, it has been too long. Captain— oh, ever since you led us into battle, I cannot stop thinking of you as 'the Captain' to save my life! "_

"_And I have been searching all of Narnia for you! Where have you been?"_

"_It is a long story. I will tell you another time. Come with me and meet my family." I said._

"_Do you have children? I did not know you were married."_

"_Last we met, I was not. I have been with Kristine the past ten years."_

"_Ah, then there is much I must catch up on."_

"_I as well. I have five children, and I doubt you can guess their names."_

"_Hmm… Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and either John or Kristine."_

"_Quite close!" I exclaimed. "You got the youngest four correct. The eldest is a boy of seven. His name is Caspian."_

"_I am honoured. How old are the others?"_

"_Peter is five, Susan four, Edmund three and dear little Lucy is two."_

"_They are in the correct order for the Pevensies. I am excited to meet your family." We soon arrived at my home, where Caspian met my family. When he held little Lu, he seemed almost sad._

"_She looks just like Lily did, when she was this age." I was astonished to learn that Caspian had had two other children. Lily had been born when Caspian was 25. She had died when she was but five years old from an epidemic. Then there was also Cassie, Rilian's twin sister, who had been born prematurely and died the same day. She had been born when Caspian was 45._

_The following day, Caspian invited me and my family to come visit him at the castle. I accepted, and Caspian said he would provide a tutor for my school-age children._

_I have never met a kinder man, and now I see his true character more than ever before. Several of the servants at the castle have children or younger siblings at home, and Caspian invited them to his house (the castle) to play with him, and become trained in the ways of a knight._

_I was playing cricket with him and the children one day, when it struck me that he was sixty. And here he was playing cricket, catching wide balls and running like a man half his age! And then something else struck me. It was the ball. It gave me a bloody nose. Caspian helped me to stop the bleeding._

"_What had you so distracted?" he asked patiently, as he held the bloody cloth to my face._

"_I only just realized you are sixty!" I exclaimed. Caspian shook his head with a slight chuckle._

"_You will never get it, will you?" he asked, with an unidentifiable emotion in those deep brown eyes of his._

_But now I have._


End file.
